1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for utilizing exhaust heat of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a structure for utilizing exhaust heat of a vehicle that includes a bypass passage, a first exhaust gas passageway installed in a low-temperature part, and a second exhaust gas passageway formed between an exhaust pipe and the bypass passageway, and may be utilized both when the vehicle initially starts and when the vehicle runs in an overloaded state.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a vehicle, depending on a running state of the vehicle, warming up and heating steps for an engine are performed when the vehicle initially starts, a thermoelectric power generating step is performed when the vehicle runs, and a bypassing step is performed when the vehicle runs on a slope or runs at an excessive speed (e.g., greater than a predetermined speed). A temperature of a coolant is raised to a predetermined temperature using a thermostat which raises a temperature of the coolant when the vehicle initially starts, and a warming u device which includes a water pump that circulates the coolant, warms up an engine. The engine should be warmed up while being operated to a particular temperature until the vehicle can run smoothly run.
Exhaust heat of the vehicle, which is produced when the vehicle runs, generates electricity while passing through a thermoelectric element of a thermoelectric power generating device. In particular, the thermoelectric element refers to an element that uses a thermoelectric effect in which thermal energy is converted into electrical energy by converting a temperature difference between both element ends into electricity, or electrical energy is converted into thermal energy by allowing electricity to flow through the element to cause a temperature difference between both the element ends.
The thermoelectric element is used in a small-scale cooling device, a small-scale heating device, or a small-scale power generating device. The thermoelectric element used in a small-scale power generating device is called a thermoelectric power generating device, or a thermoelectric power generator. The thermoelectric power generator is mainly used as an electric power supply device of a radio communication device, an electric power supply device of a space ship, a power supply device of a nuclear-powered submarine, and a thermoelectric power generator installed in an exhaust system of a vehicle. When the vehicle runs on a slope (e.g., on an inclined road) or when the vehicle runs in an overloaded state due to an excessive speed of the vehicle, exhaust heat of the vehicle is quickly discharged to the exterior of the vehicle via a bypass passageway, and the warming up device or the thermoelectric power generating device is not operated.
However, since according to a structure for utilizing exhaust heat of a vehicle in the related art, there is a section where the warming up device or the thermoelectric power generating device is not operated for each state of the vehicle, utilization of a system may deteriorate. In other words, the warming up device is operated when the vehicle initially starts, the thermoelectric power generating device is operated when the vehicle runs after a temperature of exhaust gas increases to a particular temperature, and both the warming up device and the thermoelectric power generating device are not operated when the vehicle runs in an overloaded state.